'Dancing with the Stars' Winner J.R. Martinez to Co-Host CNN's Heroes Special

By Ali Berman | November 23, 2011

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Last night America cheered as real life hero J.R. Martinez won the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale. What’s up next for the soldier turned actor turned dancing champ? He will be co-hosting ‘CNN Heroes,’ an annual special that highlights the incredible people who work as heroes everyday.
Martinez, along with Anderson Cooper, will have some celebrity help for the special. The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, Christy Turlington Burns and NFL player Kurt Warner will tell the stories of each of the ten named heroes.

‘CNN Heroes’ will air on December 11th, but to get a bit of J.R. sooner, you can tune in on Thanksgiving night to see the veteran along with Rainn Wilson, George Lopez and more all talking about how they’ve been inspired by past heroes. The special is called, ‘CNN Heroes: Where Are They Now?’

It’s fitting that Martinez would co-host such an event. While serving as a soldier in Iraq in 2003, he sustained severe burns over 40% of his body. Since then, he has become active in the burn community. He serves on the board of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and even filmed a PSA for them along with fellow burn survivor Jenna Bullen. Check it out below.